Techniques for managing patient therapy protocols

ABSTRACT

A system and a method for managing patient therapy protocols are disclosed. The system includes a patient support apparatus for supporting a patient, a first input device for use by a first caregiver, a location system for determining a location of the first caregiver, and a therapy management system. The therapy management system receives a location of the first caregiver and a selection of a patient therapy protocol, which includes a location requirement. The therapy management system then determines whether the first caregiver location input signal satisfies the location requirement before initiating the selected patient therapy protocol or notifying a second caregiver if the location of the first caregiver does not satisfy the location requirement.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The subject patent application is a Continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/211,927 filed on Dec. 6, 2018 and issued as U.S.Pat. No. 11,123,246 on Sep. 21, 2021, which claims priority to and allthe benefits of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/609,805 filedon Dec. 22, 2017, the disclosures of each of which are herebyincorporated by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

Patient therapy protocols may be used to periodically provide therapy toa patient via a medical device. Such medical devices may include, forexample, patient support apparatuses, such as hospital beds, stretchers,cots, tables, wheelchairs, recliners, and chairs for patient care. Othermedical devices may include equipment such as lights, televisions,temperature management systems, respirators, IV lines, surgical tools,and heart rate monitors that may be used in medical procedures or in theprovision of medical services to patients. For example, a patienttherapy protocol may be used to periodically provide therapy to apatient disposed on a patient support apparatus by turning the patientevery hour to minimize the patient's risk for developing a pressureulcer.

Typically, patient therapy protocols may be initiated by a caregiverassigned to the patient or the patient support apparatus. However, suchcaregivers are typically tasked with caring for multiple patients.Furthermore, because patient therapy protocols may periodically providetherapy to the patient after being initiated, there is a possibilitythat the caregiver may forget that the patient therapy protocol isproviding therapy to the patient. As such, there are opportunities toaddress at least the aforementioned problems.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Advantages of the present disclosure will be readily appreciated as thesame becomes better understood by reference to the following detaileddescription when considered in connection with the accompanyingdrawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a system including a patient supportapparatus, input devices, a location system, and a therapy managementsystem;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the patient supportapparatus, the input devices, the location system, and the therapymanagement system;

FIG. 3A is a flowchart illustrating a first embodiment of a method ofmanaging patient therapy protocols, which includes a step of executingan instance of the patient therapy protocol;

FIG. 3B is a flowchart illustrating the step of executing the instanceof the patient therapy protocol;

FIG. 3C is a flowchart further illustrating the step of executing theinstance of the patient therapy protocol;

FIG. 4A is a flowchart illustrating a second embodiment of the method ofmanaging patient therapy protocols, which includes a step of monitoringa location of a caregiver;

FIG. 4B is a flowchart illustrating the step of monitoring the locationof the caregiver; and

FIG. 4C is a flowchart further illustrating the step of monitoring thelocation of the caregiver.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to the Figures, wherein like numerals indicate like orcorresponding parts throughout the several views, techniques formanaging patient therapy protocols are provided.

Referring to FIG. 1 , an embodiment of a system 10 for managing patienttherapy protocols is shown. The system 10 includes a patient supportapparatus 100 for supporting a patient in a health care setting. Thepatient support apparatus 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 includes a hospitalbed. However, in other embodiments, the patient support apparatus 100may include a stretcher, a cot, a table, a wheelchair, a recliner, achair for patient care, or any other similar apparatus utilized in thecare of a patient.

A support structure 110 provides support for the patient. The supportstructure 110 illustrated in FIG. 1 includes a base 150 and a supportframe 130. The base 150 includes a base frame 151. The support frame 130is spaced above the base frame 151 in FIG. 1 . The support structure 110also includes a patient support deck 140 disposed on the support frame130. The patient support deck 140 includes several sections, some ofwhich are capable of articulating relative to the support frame 130,such as a back section, a seat section, a thigh section, and a footsection. The patient support deck 140 provides a patient support surface141 upon which the patient is supported.

A mattress 160 may be disposed on the patient support deck 140 duringuse. The mattress 160 includes a secondary patient support surface 161upon which the patient is supported. In addition, the mattress 160 maybe omitted in certain embodiments, such that the patient rests directlyon the patient support surface 141.

The base 150, support frame 130, patient support deck 140, and patientsupport surface 141 each have a head end and a foot end corresponding toa designated placement of the patient's head and feet on the patientsupport apparatus 100. The construction of the support structure 110 maytake on any suitable design, and is not limited to that specifically setforth above.

Side rails 171, 172, 173, 174 are coupled to the support frame 130 orthe patient support deck 140 and are thereby supported by the base 150.A first side rail 171 is positioned at a left head end of the patientsupport deck 140. A second side rail 172 is positioned at a left footend of the support frame 130. A third side rail 173 is positioned at aright head end of the patient support deck 140. A fourth side rail 174is positioned at a left foot end of the support frame 130. If thepatient support apparatus 100 is a stretcher or a cot, there may befewer side rails. The side rails 171, 172, 173, 174 are movable to araised position in which they block ingress and egress into and out ofthe patient support apparatus 100, one or more intermediate positions,and a lowered position in which the side rails 171, 172, 173, 174 arenot an obstacle to such ingress and egress. In still otherconfigurations, the patient support apparatus 100 may not include anyside rails.

A headboard 181 and a footboard 182 are coupled to the support frame130. In other embodiments, when the headboard 181 and footboard 182 areincluded, the headboard 181 and footboard 182 may be coupled to otherlocations on the patient support apparatus 100, such as the base 150. Instill other embodiments, the patient support apparatus 100 does notinclude the headboard 181 and/or the footboard 182.

Caregiver interfaces 183, such as handles, are shown integrated into thefootboard 182 and side rails 171, 172, 173, 174 to facilitate movementof the patient support apparatus 100 over floor surfaces. Additionalcaregiver interfaces 183 may be integrated into the headboard 181 and/orother components of the patient support apparatus 100. The caregiverinterfaces 183 are graspable by a caregiver to manipulate the patientsupport apparatus 100 for movement.

Wheels 190 are coupled to the base 150 to facilitate transport over thefloor surfaces. The wheels 190 are arranged in each of four quadrants ofthe base 150 adjacent to corners of the base 150. In the embodimentshown, the wheels 190 are caster wheels able to rotate and swivelrelative to the support structure 110 during transport. Each of thewheels 190 forms part of a caster assembly 192. Each caster assembly 192is mounted to the base 150. It should be understood that variousconfigurations of the caster assemblies 192 are contemplated. Inaddition, in some embodiments, the wheels 190 are not caster wheels andmay be non-steerable, steerable, non-powered, powered, or combinationsthereof. Additional wheels are also contemplated. For example, thepatient support apparatus 100 may include four non-powered,non-steerable wheels, along with one or more powered wheels. In somecases, the patient support apparatus 100 may not include any wheels.

In other embodiments, one or more auxiliary wheels (powered ornon-powered), which are movable between stowed positions and deployedpositions, may be coupled to the support structure 110. In some cases,when these auxiliary wheels are located between caster assemblies 192and contact the floor surface in the deployed position, they cause twoof the caster assemblies 192 to be lifted off the floor surface therebyshortening a wheel base of the patient support apparatus 100. A fifthwheel may also be arranged substantially in a center of the base 150.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the system 10 may include an actuatable device 120and actuators 121, 122. The actuators 121, 122 may be further defined asbeing capable of moving the actuatable device 120. The actuators 121,122 may be coupled to the support structure 110 to move the patient whenthe patient is disposed on the patient support structure 110. In theembodiment of the patient support apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 , thepatient support apparatus 100 includes two actuators 121, 122. However,it is to be noted that the patient support apparatus 100 may include anysuitable number of actuators 121, 122. Furthermore, any of thetechniques described herein can utilize any number of actuators 121, 122individually or in combination.

The actuators 121, 122 should be broadly understood as a type of motoror device that is capable of moving or controlling a mechanism or asystem. For example, some suitable, non-limiting examples of theactuators 121, 122 are mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, electric,thermal, or magnetic actuators. The actuators 121, 122 may also includemotors, such as a rotational or linear motor. In a further example, theactuators 121, 122 may include an inflation actuator. In sum, it shouldbe understood that any type of actuator can be used in certainapplications.

As described above, the actuators 121, 122 may be further defined asbeing capable of moving an actuatable device 120. These actuatabledevices 120 are not particularly limited, and may include any device orsystem that includes one or more actuators 121, 122. In certainembodiments, the actuatable device 120 is one that, when actuated,results in a change of position of the patient support surfaces 141, 161of the patient support structure 110. This change in position of one ormore patient support surfaces 141, 161 when the patient occupies thepatient support apparatus 100, results in a change in the position ofone or more portions of the patient's body.

More specifically, in situations where a patient occupies the patientsupport apparatus 100, i.e., contacts one or more patient supportsurfaces 141, 161, operation of each of the actuatable devices 120results in movement of one or more portions of the patient in one ormore dimensions relative to a static surface, such as relative to afloor of a hospital. Examples of such movement include, but are notlimited to: forward and reverse movement of the patient by virtue ofmovement of the patient support structure 110 along a floor; raising andlowering movement of the patient by virtue of movement of the patientsupport structure 110 upward and downward relative to the floor; angularmovement by virtue of changing the angle of at least a portion of thepatient support structure 110 relative to a floor; rotation of thepatient along a longitudinal axis of the patient support structure 110(while the patient support apparatus 100 remains stationary relative tothe floor); or various combinations of those types of movement.

Without limitation, the actuatable devices 120 that result in the changeof the position of one or more patient support surfaces 141, 161 of thepatient support structure 110 may include a coordinated motion device, apatient raising device, a patient turning device, a patient centeringdevice, a patient ingress/egress device, a lift device, a fowleradjustment device, a gatch adjustment device, and a transport device.

It is also contemplated that the actuatable device 120 may be of thetype that does not result in a change of position, orientation, and/orelevation of the patient support surfaces 141, 161. These “non-positionactuatable devices” may include, but are not limited to, a patientcomfort device, such as an entertainment device, a lighting device, atemperature device, a humidity device, and an aromatherapy device, aswell as patient therapy devices, such as vibration therapy devices,percussion therapy devices, compression therapy devices, patient warmingdevices, and electrical stimulation devices.

In FIG. 1 , a therapy management system 193 is illustrated as beingdisposed within the footboard 182 of the patient support apparatus 100.However, in other embodiments, the therapy management system 193 may bedisposed on or within the headboard 181, any of the side rails 171, 172,173, 174, the caregiver interfaces 183, or any other suitable componentof the patient support apparatus 100. Furthermore, the therapymanagement system 193 may be separated from the patient supportapparatus 100. For example, the therapy management system 193 may bemounted to a ceiling of a hospital room, a support structure of thehospital room, or a wall of the hospital room. In further embodiments,the therapy management system 193 may be disposed within a remotecomputing device such as a cellular phone, a desktop computer, or alaptop.

A first input device 198 may be used by a first caregiver 195 and asecond input device 199 may be used by a second caregiver 196. In theembodiment shown in FIG. 1 , the input devices 198, 199 are tabletdevices. The input devices 198, 199 may be mobile input devices incertain embodiments. The input devices 198, 199 may be any one of acellular phone, a desktop computer, a nurse call station, a laptop, awearable remote device, or any other suitable mobile input device. Inother embodiments, the input devices 198, 199 may be a disposed on thepatient support apparatus 100. For example, the input devices 198, 199may be a user interface of the patient support apparatus 100 such as atouchscreen of the patient support apparatus 100, buttons of the patientsupport apparatus 100, or switches of the patient support apparatus 100.

It should be noted that, while the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 includestwo mobile input devices 198, 199, the system 10 may include anysuitable number of input devices. For example, in some embodiments, thesystem 10 may also include a third mobile input device for use by athird caregiver and a fourth mobile input device for use by a fourthcaregiver.

Furthermore, the system 10 may be designed to be used by any suitablenumber of caregivers, such as a first caregiver, a second caregiver, anda third caregiver. For example, the system 10 may be used by the firstcaregiver 195, who may be the caregiver initially assigned to thepatient or the patient's primary caregiver, and a second caregiver 196.In some embodiments, the system 10 may designate the second caregiver196 as a backup caregiver to the first caregiver 195. In otherembodiments, the second caregiver 196 may be a caregiver chosen from agroup of available caregivers. The system 10 may also appoint a third,master caregiver, whom may be assigned to monitor multiple patients. Forexample, the third caregiver may be a nurse who is assigned to the nursecall station or who is assigned to monitor multiple patients at a localor remote command center. Of course, the system 10 may be designed foruse by more than three caregivers, and include any suitable number ofinput devices.

The patient support apparatus 100 may include an override system 194. InFIG. 1 , the override system 194 is illustrated as being disposed withinthe first side rail 172. However, in other embodiments, the overridesystem 194 may be disposed on or within the headboard 181, the footboard182, any of the side rails 171, 172, 173, 174, the caregiver interfaces183, or any other suitable component of the patient support apparatus100. In such embodiments, the override system 194 may include a switch,a button, a latch, a touchscreen display, a microphone, or combinationsthereof. In other embodiments, the override system 194 may be separatedfrom the patient support apparatus 100. For example, the override system194 may be mounted to a ceiling of a hospital room, a support structureof the hospital room, or a wall of the hospital room. In anotherexample, the override system 194 may include a remote computing devicesuch as a cellular phone, a desktop computer, or a laptop. For instance,the mobile input devices 198, 199 may be in communication with theoverride system 194.

The system 10 also includes a location system 197. As shown in FIG. 1 ,the location system 197 may be disposed within the fourth side rail 174of the patient support apparatus 100. However, in other embodiments, thelocation system 197 may be disposed on or within the headboard 181, anyof the side rails 171, 172, 173, 174, the caregiver interfaces 183, orany other suitable component of the patient support apparatus 100.Furthermore, the location system 197 may include any sensor or systemcapable of determining location. For example, the location system 193may include a proximity sensor, such as an infrared sensor, disposed onthe footboard 182 of the patient support apparatus 100.

In other embodiments, the location system 197 may be separated from thepatient support apparatus 100. For example, the location system 197 maybe mounted to the ceiling of the hospital room, a support structure ofthe hospital room, or a wall of the hospital room. In an exampleembodiment, the location system 193 may include a Quick Response (QR)code scanner affixed to the wall of the hospital room, which detects alocation when a QR code is scanned.

The location system 197 may include a software and/or hardware componentof a computing device such as a cellular phone, a desktop computer, or alaptop. For example, the location system 197 may include a globalpositioning system (GPS) of the input devices 198, 199 or a wirelessnetworking device of the input devices 198, 199. In another example, thelocation system 197 may include an asset tracking system, such as anRFID tracking system, installed on a server. Accordingly, any of theabove-described embodiments of the location system 197 may be used todetermine a location of the first input device 198, a location of thesecond input device 199, and/or any other input device used with system100. When the location of an input device is determined, the locationsystem 197 and/or the therapy management system 193 may determine thelocation of the associated caregiver to be the location of theirrespective input device.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the therapy management system 193, the patientsupport apparatus 100, and the input devices 198, 199 may be coupled toa communication network 191 to communicate wirelessly with each other.The communication network 191 may be any suitable communication network.For example, the communication network 191 may include any one ofBluetooth, WiFi, Infrared, ZigBee, radio waves, cellular signals, anyother suitable communication network, or combinations thereof. In someembodiments, the communication network 191 may include a networkingdevice such as a gateway device, a router, or a repeater. In otherembodiments, the therapy management system 193, the patient supportapparatus 100, the override system 194, the location system 197, and theinput devices 198, 199 may communicate using another suitablepeer-to-peer, wireless, wired, or other communication protocol.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram which further illustrates thecommunication network 191. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 , thetherapy management system 193, the override system 194, the mobiledevices 198, 199, the location system 197, and the patient supportapparatus 100 may be coupled to one another via the communicationnetwork 191.

For example, as shown in FIG. 2 , the therapy management system 193 maybe coupled to the input devices 198, 199 via the communication network191 and may receive a selection of a patient therapy protocol from theinput devices 198, 199.

One type of therapy protocol is a default therapy protocol set accordingto the hospital's standard procedures for patients with specific riskprofiles. Another type of therapy protocol is a variable protocol basedon medical procedure data, patient characteristic data, caregiverobservation data, a patient condition of the patient, a state of thepatient support apparatus, the patient's preferences, medication data,prior injury data, or combinations thereof. Exemplary therapy protocolsinclude turning protocols, pressure-ulcer risk protocols, and percussiontherapy protocols.

The patient therapy protocol may include a set of desired therapeuticactions, which when executed, provide therapy to a patient. During anexecution of the desired therapeutic action, the therapy managementsystem 193 transmits a patient-moving output signal to the actuators121, 122 of the patient support apparatus 100. The patient-moving outputsignal may be defined as a command which, when transmitted to theactuators 121, 122, causes movement of the one or more actuatabledevices 120 that are configured to provide therapy to the patient whenthe patient is on the patient support apparatus 100 or other suitabletherapy location. Each execution of the desired therapeutic action istermed an “instance” of the patient therapy protocol herein. Forexample, in one embodiment, the patient therapy protocol may cause theactuators 121, 122 to elevate the foot section of the patient supportdeck 140. In such an embodiment, an instance of the patient therapycorresponds to each elevation of the patient support deck 140.

An instance of the patient therapy protocol may be triggered at certaintime periods, i.e., at periodic intervals, or through the occurrence ofcertain events. The events may be based on the medical procedure data,the patient characteristic data, the caregiver observation data, thepatient condition of the patient, the state of the patient supportapparatus, the patient's preferences, the medication data, the priorinjury data, or combinations thereof. For example, in one embodiment,the patient therapy protocol may cause the actuators 121, 122 to elevatethe foot section of the patient support deck 140 based on a periodicinterval, such as every hour. In such an embodiment, the patient therapyprotocol is triggered every hour. In another embodiment, the patienttherapy protocol may cause the actuators 121, 122 to turn the patientbased on certain events or circumstances, such as based on a risk ofacquiring a pressure ulcer, which may be calculated based on a sensedmoisture level of the patient support apparatus 100, an activity levelof the patient, and/or a friction measurement between the patient andthe patient support apparatus 100. In such an embodiment, the patienttherapy protocol is triggered when the risk of acquiring a pressureulcer exceeds a certain threshold.

The patient therapy protocol may also include a location requirement.The location requirement of a patient therapy protocol may be used toensure that the caregiver is within a specified range of the patientsupport apparatus 100 before an instance of the patient therapy protocolis initiated and/or throughout a time that an instance of the patienttherapy protocol is being executed. The location requirement may includea proximity to the patient support apparatus 100, a predeterminedlocation, or combinations thereof. For instance, an “in-room” locationrequirement may require the caregiver to be in the hospital room of thepatient support apparatus 100 during the execution of the patienttherapy protocol.

For example, the location requirement may require the caregiver to be inthe same wing of the hospital as the patient support apparatus 100,i.e., an “in-wing” location requirement. The location requirement mayrequire the caregiver to be on the same floor of the hospital as thepatient support apparatus, i.e., an “in-floor” location requirement.Similarly, the location requirement may require the caregiver to be inthe same building of the hospital as the patient support apparatus,i.e., an “in-building” location requirement. The location requirementmay also require the caregiver to be in the same functional area ordepartment of the hospital as the patient support apparatus 100. Forexample, if the patient support apparatus 100 is location in thecardiology department of the hospital, the location requirement mayrequire the caregiver to be in the cardiology department of thehospital. In other embodiments, the location requirement may require thecaregiver to be adjacent to the patient support apparatus 100. Inanother embodiment, the location requirement may require the caregiverto be within a predetermined or programmable distance, such as 100 feet,of the patient support apparatus 100, i.e. a distance requirement. Inyet another embodiment, a location score may be calculated based on thecaregiver's distance from the patient support apparatus 100. In such anembodiment, the location requirement may require the caregiver tomaintain a predetermined or programmable location score.

In another embodiment, the location requirement of the patient therapyprotocol may inherently require the caregiver to be adjacent to thepatient support apparatus 100 during the patient therapy protocol. In anexample embodiment, the patient therapy protocol may require thecaregiver to push a button on the patient support apparatus 100 toinitiate an instance of the patient therapy protocol. In another exampleembodiment, the patient therapy protocol may require the caregiver toraise the side rails 171, 172, 173, 174 and confirm, using the inputdevice of the patient support apparatus 100, that the side rails 171,172, 173, 174 have been raised before the patient therapy protocolcauses the actuators 121, 122 to turn the patient. These examples arealso examples of the in-room location requirement.

Additionally, the location requirement may include a first locationrequirement and a subsequent location requirement, the first locationrequirement being the location requirement for the first instance of theselected patient therapy protocol and the subsequent locationrequirement being a location requirement for a subsequent instance ofthe patient therapy protocol. For example, in one embodiment, thelocation requirement of the patient therapy protocol may require thecaregiver to be in-room when the caregiver initiates the first instanceof the patient therapy protocol, and may require that the caregiver belocated within a certain predetermined or programmable distance ofpatient support apparatus, such as 100 feet, during subsequent instancesof the patient therapy protocol. In such an embodiment, the locationrequirement includes a first location requirement and a subsequentdistance requirement.

Furthermore, the therapy management system 193 may determine thelocation requirement of the patient therapy protocol based on themedical procedure data, the patient characteristic data, the caregiverobservation data, the patient condition of the patient, the state of thepatient support apparatus, a risk level of the patient therapy protocol,the patient's preferences, the medication data, the prior injury data,or combinations thereof.

In embodiments where the therapy management system 193 determines thelocation requirement of the patient therapy protocol based on themedical procedure data, the medical procedure data may include a type ofmedical procedure undergone by the patient, a duration since a lastmedical procedure undergone by the patient, a duration since admittanceof the patient to a caregiving facility, or combinations thereof. In anexample embodiment, the location requirement may require the caregiverto be in-room if the patient has recently undergone back surgery basedon the medical procedure data and if the patient therapy protocol causesthe actuators 121, 122 to incline the back section of the patientsupport deck 140.

In embodiments where the therapy management system 193 determines thelocation requirement of the patient therapy protocol based on thepatient characteristic data, the patient characteristic data may includea height of the patient, fall risk data, width of the patient, age ofthe patient, weight of the patient, body mass index of the patient, orcombinations thereof. In an example embodiment, the location requirementmay require the caregiver to be in-room if the patient has a high fallrisk based on the fall risk data and if the patient therapy protocolcauses the actuators 121, 122 to turn the patient.

In embodiments where the therapy management system 193 determines thelocation requirement of the patient therapy protocol based on thecaregiver observation data, the caregiver observation data may includepsychological data of the patient, phobia data of the patient, painsensitivity data of the patient, nausea data of the patient, orcombinations thereof. In an example embodiment, the location requirementmay require a caregiver to be in-room if the patient is experiencingnausea symptoms based on the nausea data and if the therapy protocolcauses movement of the patient's head.

In embodiments where the therapy management system 193 determines thelocation requirement of the patient therapy protocol based on thepatient condition, the patient condition may include physiological dataof the patient such as a heart rate of the patient, a temperature of thepatient, vital signs of the patient, a comfort level of the patient, apain rating of the patient, a position of the patient, or a bloodpressure of the patient. In an example embodiment, the locationrequirement may require the caregiver to be in-room if the heart rate ofthe patient is at a high-level.

In embodiments where the therapy management system 193 determines thelocation requirement of the patient therapy protocol based on the stateof the patient support apparatus, the state of the patient supportapparatus may include a height of a component of the patient supportapparatus 100, a length of a component of the patient support apparatus100, a position of a component of the patient support apparatus 100, astate of a component of the patient support apparatus 100, a velocity ofa component of the patient support apparatus 100, an acceleration of acomponent of the patient support apparatus 100, or combinations thereof.In an example embodiment, the location requirement may require thecaregiver to be adjacent to the patient support apparatus 100 before thepatient therapy protocol causes the actuators 121, 122 to move thepatient if the side rails 171, 172, 173, 174 are in the loweredposition.

In embodiments where the therapy management system 193 determines thelocation requirement of the patient therapy protocol based on the risklevel of the patient therapy protocol, the patient therapy protocol maybe categorized as a low-risk patient therapy protocol, a medium-riskpatient therapy protocol, or a high-risk patient therapy protocol. Forexample, in one embodiment, a patient therapy protocol which causes theactuators 121, 122 to turn the patient may be categorized as a high-riskpatient therapy protocol and a patient therapy protocol which causes theactuators 121, 122 to incline the foot section of the patient supportdeck 140 may be categorized as a low-risk patient therapy protocol. Insuch an embodiment, the location requirement of the high-risk patienttherapy protocol may require the caregiver to be adjacent to the patientsupport apparatus 100 whereas the location requirement of the low-riskpatient therapy protocol may require the caregiver to be in-wing. Ofcourse, it should be noted that the patient therapy protocol may becategorized as a low-risk patient therapy protocol, a medium-riskpatient therapy protocol, or a high-risk patient therapy protocol basedon the medical procedure data, the patient characteristic data, thepatient condition, the state of the patient support apparatus, thepatient's preferences, the medication data, the prior injury data, orcombinations thereof.

Similarly, the therapy management system 193 may determine the locationrequirement based on the patient's preferences, the medication data,and/or the prior injury data. In an example embodiment, the locationrequirement may be in-room to for each instance of the patient therapyprotocol if the patient has recently suffered a knee injury and if thepatient therapy protocol is of a type that would cause the actuators121, 122 to move the patient's knee.

It should be noted that the therapy management system 193 may receivethe medical procedure data, the patient characteristic data, the patientcondition, the state of the patient support apparatus, the medicationdata, and the prior injury data in a variety of ways. In one embodiment,the caregiver or the patient may supply the above data, states, andconditions to the therapy management system 193. In further embodiments,the caregiver or the patient may supply the data, states, and conditionsto the controller 195 via the input devices 198, 199. In still otherembodiments, the therapy management system 193 may receive the data,states, and conditions from a database such as an electronic medicalrecord or from sensors connected to or included within the therapymanagement system 193.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2 , the therapy management system 193includes a memory 203 and a processor 202, which may be used for storingand processing the medical procedure data, the patient characteristicdata, the patient condition, the state of the patient support apparatus,the patient's preferences, the medication data, and the prior injurydata. The processor 202 may be any processor suitable for processingdata. For example, the processor 202 may be a processor typically foundin a desktop computer or a processor typically found in a mobileprocessing device such as a cellular phone, a tablet, or a laptop.Similarly, the memory 203 may be any memory suitable for storage of dataand computer-readable instructions. For example, the memory 203 may be alocal memory, an external memory, or a cloud-based memory embodied asrandom access memory (RAM), non-volatile RAM (NVRAM), flash memory, orany other suitable form of memory.

The location requirement may also vary for different patient therapyprotocols. As noted above, the patient therapy protocol may depend on avariety of factors, including the medical procedure data, the patientcharacteristic data, the caregiver observation data, the patientcondition of the patient, the state of the patient support apparatus,the risk level of the patient therapy protocol, the patient'spreferences, the medication data, the prior injury data, or combinationsthereof. For example, as previously discussed, the location requirementmay differ between two different patient therapy protocols based on therisk level of the two different patient therapy protocol.

Furthermore, whether the location requirement is used to ensure that thecaregiver is within a specified range of the patient support apparatus100 before an instance of the patient therapy protocol is initiated orthroughout a time that an instance of the patient therapy protocol isexecuted may also be based on the medical procedure data, the patientcharacteristic data, the caregiver observation data, the patientcondition of the patient, the state of the patient support apparatus,the patient's preferences, the medication data, the prior injury data,or combinations thereof. For example, in a more urgent situation, suchas a situation where the vital signs of the patient indicate that thepatient may enter cardiac arrest, the location requirement may beenforced throughout an instance of the patient therapy protocol, atperiodic intervals, such as every 5 minutes. Conversely, if the patientis in a stable condition, the location requirement may only be enforcedbefore initiating an instance of the patient therapy protocol.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the therapy management system 193 may be coupled tothe input devices 198, 199 via the communication network 191 and may beconfigured to transmit a notification signal to the input devices 198,199. The notification signal may cause the input devices 198, 199 todisplay a text or graphic display, illuminate an external light,activate an audible alarm, vibrate, and/or generate any other suitablenotification.

It should be appreciated that, in some embodiments, the therapymanagement system 193 may be coupled to the input devices 198, 199without the communication network 191. For example, in an embodimentwhere the input devices 198, 199 are the user interface of the patientsupport apparatus 100 and the therapy management system 193 is disposedwithin the patient support apparatus 100, the input devices 198, 199 maybe in direct communication with the therapy management system 193. Assuch, the therapy management system 193 may receive the selection of thepatient therapy protocol 100 and transmit the notification signal to theinput devices 198, 199 without the communication network 191.

Additionally, the therapy management system 193 may be coupled to thelocation system 197 and may receive a location input signal from thelocation system 197. As shown in FIG. 2 , the therapy management system193 may be coupled to the location system 197 via the communicationnetwork 191. As such, the therapy management system 193 is able toreceive the location input signal even if the therapy management system193 is not in direct communication with the location system 197. Forexample, in the previously stated embodiment where the location system193 includes the GPS of the first input device 198, the therapymanagement system 193 may receive the location input signal from the GPSof the first input device 198 via a cellular signal or via a WiFiconnection.

In some embodiments, the therapy management system 193 may be coupled tothe location system 197 without the communication network 191. Forexample, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 , the location system 197 andthe therapy management system 193 are disposed within the patientsupport apparatus 100. In such an embodiment, the location system 197and the therapy management system 193 may be in direct communicationwith each other. As such, the therapy management system 193 may receivethe location input signal from the location system 197 without the useof the communication network 191.

Also shown in FIG. 2 , the therapy management system 193 may be coupledto the patient support apparatus 100. In this way, the therapymanagement system 193 may transmit the patient-moving output signal tothe actuators 121, 122 of the patient support apparatus 100 to causemovement of the one or more actuatable devices 120. As shown in FIG. 2 ,the therapy management system 193 may be coupled to the patient supportapparatus 100 via the communication network 191. In such an embodiment,the patient support apparatus 100 may transmit the patient-moving outputsignal to a controller of the patient support apparatus 100 via thecommunication network 191. The controller of the patient supportapparatus 100 may then transmit the patient-moving output signal to theactuators 121, 122 of the patient support apparatus 100. For example, inthe previously stated embodiment where the therapy management system 193may be mounted to a ceiling of a hospital room, the therapy managementsystem 193 may use the hospital's WiFi connection to transmit thepatient-moving output signal to the controller of the patient supportapparatus 100. In this way, the therapy management system 193 is able tocause one or more actuatable devices 120 of the patient supportapparatus 100 to move the patient, even if the therapy management system193 is separated from the patient support apparatus 100.

In some embodiments, the therapy management system 193 may be coupled tothe patient support apparatus 100 without the communication network 191.For example, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 , the therapy managementsystem 193 is disposed within the patient support apparatus 100. In suchan embodiment, the therapy management system 193 may transmit thepatient-moving output signal directly to a controller of the patientsupport apparatus 100 to initiate the selected patient therapy protocolwithout the communication network 191. In another such embodiment, thetherapy management system 193 may transmit the patient-moving outputsignal directly to the actuators 121, 122 of the patient supportapparatus 100 without the communication network 191.

Additionally, the therapy management system 193 may be coupled to theoverride system 194 and may receive a control signal from the overridesystem 194. As shown in FIG. 2 , the therapy management system 193 maybe coupled to the override system 194 via the communication network 191.In such an embodiment, the override system 194 may transmit the controlsignal to the therapy management system 193 via the communicationnetwork 191. For example, in the previously stated embodiment where theoverride system 194 is in communication with the input devices 198, 199,the therapy management system 193 may receive the control signal via acellular signal or via a WiFi connection.

However, in other embodiments, the therapy management system 193 may becoupled to the override system 194 without the communication network191. For example, in an embodiment where the override system 194 is atouchscreen display disposed on the patient support apparatus 100 andthe therapy management system 193 is disposed within the patient supportapparatus 100, the override system 194 and the therapy management system193 may be in direct communication with each other. As such, the therapymanagement system 193 may receive the control signal without thecommunication network 191.

As described above, the override system 194 may transmit the controlsignal to the therapy management system 193. In some embodiments, thecontrol signal may be an acceptance of the patient therapy protocol, adenial of the patient therapy protocol, a modification to the patienttherapy protocol, a selection of a different patient therapy protocol,or combinations thereof. In this way, the override system 194 allows acaregiver to immediately adjust the patient therapy protocol ifnecessary.

To further aid in understanding the system 10 for managing patienttherapy protocols, FIG. 3A provides a flowchart illustrating a method ofmanaging patient therapy protocols, which may be executed by the therapymanagement system 193. As shown in FIG. 3A, the method includes a step300 of providing the patient support apparatus 100, the input devices198, 199, the location system 197, and the therapy management system193. The method also includes a step 310 of receiving a selection of thepatient therapy protocol from the first input device 198 and a step 320of executing an instance of the patient therapy protocol.

An example embodiment is used herein to further explain the method. Theselected patient therapy protocol received during step 310 may, whenexecuted, cause the actuators 121, 122 to elevate the foot section ofthe patient support deck 140 every hour for five hours. During step 320,the method may execute an instance of the selected patient therapyprotocol and elevate the foot section of the patient support deck 140.This embodiment is referred to herein as the “the foot elevationembodiment”.

Step 320 is further illustrated in FIG. 3B. As shown, the methodincludes a step 314 of determining whether a trigger condition for theinstance of the patient therapy protocol is satisfied. If the triggercondition is satisfied, the method continues to a next step and mayeventually execute the instance of the patient therapy protocol. If thetrigger condition is not satisfied, the method proceeds in a loop andcontinues determining whether the trigger condition for the instance ofthe patient therapy protocol is satisfied.

During step 314, the method may determine whether the trigger conditionfor the instance of the patient therapy protocol is satisfied based onan amount of time. In the foot elevation embodiment, the method, duringstep 314, determines whether an hour has passed since the last instanceof the patient therapy protocol or since the patient therapy protocolwas selected during step 310. If an hour has passed, the triggercondition for the instance of the patient therapy protocol is satisfied.

In another embodiment of step 314, the method may determine whether toexecute the first instance of the patient therapy protocol based on asensed parameter. For example, in the embodiment where the patienttherapy protocol causes the actuators 121, 122 to turn the patient basedon the risk of acquiring a pressure ulcer, the method may receive thesensed moisture level of the patient support apparatus 100, the activitylevel of the patient, and/or the friction measurement between thepatient and the patient support apparatus 100 and calculate the risk ofacquiring a pressure ulcer during step 314. In such an embodiment, ifthe risk of acquiring a pressure ulcer exceeds a certain threshold, thetrigger condition is satisfied.

In other embodiments of step 314, the method may determine whether thetrigger condition for the patient therapy protocol is satisfied based ondetermining whether the selected patient therapy protocol is anallowable patient therapy protocol. The method may determine whether theselected patient therapy protocol is an allowable patient therapyprotocol based on the medical procedure data, the patient characteristicdata, the caregiver observation data, the patient condition of thepatient, the state of the patient support apparatus, the patient'spreferences, the medication data, the prior injury data, or combinationsthereof. For example, in an embodiment where the patient therapyprotocol causes the actuators 121, 122 to turn the patient, the methodmay determine whether the trigger condition is satisfied based onwhether the side rails 171, 172, 173, 174 of the patient supportapparatus 100 are in the raised position. In an embodiment where patienttherapy protocol causes the actuators 121, 122 to incline the backsection of the patient support deck 140, the method may determinewhether the trigger condition is satisfied based on whether patient hasrecently undergone back surgery.

It should be appreciated that the method may exit step 314 beforedetermining whether an instance of the patient therapy protocol shouldbe executed. In one embodiment, the method may wait a predetermined orprogrammable amount of time before exiting step 314. For example, themethod may exit step 314 if the method has not determined whether aninstance of the patient therapy protocol should be executed after 6hours. In another embodiment, the method may exit step 314 if thecaregiver aborts the patient therapy protocol. For example, in oneembodiment, the method may exit step 314 if the caregiver denies thepatient therapy protocol using the override system 194.

As shown in FIG. 3B, after determining that the first instance of thepatient therapy protocol should be executed, the method proceeds to astep 311 of receiving a first caregiver location input signalcorresponding to a location of the first caregiver 195. The method thenproceeds to a step 313 of determining whether or not the first caregiverlocation input signal satisfies the location requirement of the selectedpatient therapy protocol. In the foot elevation embodiment, the locationrequirement of the selected patient therapy protocol may require acaregiver to be in the same room as the patient support apparatus 100when the foot section of the patient support deck 140 is being elevated.As such, the method may, in the foot elevation embodiment, receive thelocation of the first caregiver 195 during step 311 and determinewhether the first caregiver 195 is in the same room as the patientsupport apparatus 100.

If the first caregiver location input signal satisfies the locationrequirement of the selected patient therapy protocol, the method mayproceed to a step 353 of transmitting a notification signal to the firstinput device 198. During step 353, the method transmits the notificationsignal to the first input device 198 to notify the first caregiver 195of the instance of the patient therapy protocol.

Once the first caregiver 195 is notified of the instance of the patienttherapy protocol, the method may proceed to a step 354 of receiving aresponse to notifying the first caregiver 195 of the selected patienttherapy protocol via the first input device 198. The response receivedduring step 354 may include an acceptance of the instance of the patienttherapy protocol, a denial of the instance of the patient therapyprotocol, a modification to the instance of the patient therapyprotocol, a selection of a different patient therapy protocol, orcombinations thereof. For example, in the foot elevation embodiment, thefirst caregiver 195 may, via the first input device 198, accept anelevation of the foot section of the patient support deck 140, deny theelevation of the foot section of the patient support deck 140, modifythe patient therapy protocol so that the thigh section of the patientsupport deck 140 is elevated instead, or select a patient therapyprotocol which causes the actuators 121, 122 to turn the patient.

FIG. 3C provides a flowchart illustrating the step 320 if the methodreceives the response during step 354. If the response received duringstep 354 is the acceptance of the instance of the patient therapyprotocol, the method proceeds to a step 315 of transmitting thepatient-moving output signal to the patient support apparatus 100 toexecute the instance of the selected patient therapy protocol, as shownin FIG. 3C. In the foot elevation embodiment, if the first caregiver 195accepts the patient therapy protocol, the patient-moving output signalis transmitted and the foot section of the patient support deck 140 iselevated.

However, if the response received during step 354 is the denial of theinstance of the patient therapy protocol, the modification to theinstance of the patient therapy protocol, or the selection of adifferent patient therapy protocol, the method may proceed differently.For example, if the response received during step 354 is the denial ofthe instance of the patient therapy protocol, the method may proceed tostep 302, or an end of the method. During step 302, the method mayreposition the patient support apparatus 100 back to its initial stateand return to step 301, a start of the method.

If the response received during step 354 is the modification to theinstance of the patient therapy protocol, the therapy management system193 may modify the patient therapy protocol during step 359 beforeproceeding to step 315 to execute the modified patient therapy protocol.If the response received during step 354 is the selection of thedifferent patient therapy protocol, the method may return to step 314and determine whether or not to execute the first instance of thedifferent patient therapy protocol.

Furthermore, during step 354, the method may wait a predetermined orprogrammable amount of time for the response to notifying the firstcaregiver 195. If the method does not receive the response to notifyingthe first caregiver 195 within the predetermined or programmable amountof time, the method may timeout and proceed to a step 353′ oftransmitting a notification signal to the first input device 198 and/orthe second input device 199 to notify the first caregiver 195 and/or thesecond caregiver 196 that the method did not receive the response fromthe first caregiver 195 within the predetermined or programmable amountof time. In other embodiments, the method may proceed to step 302, theend of the method, if the method does not receive the response from thefirst caregiver 195 within the predetermined or programmable amount oftime.

In some embodiments, depending on the type of the patient therapyprotocol, the method may proceed to step 315 and execute the instance ofthe patient therapy protocol even if the method does not receive theresponse from the first caregiver 195. In such embodiments, the methodmay execute the instance of the patient therapy protocol for a period oftime, such as five minutes, before proceeding to step 353′. The methodmay also continue waiting for the response from the first caregiver 195while executing the patient therapy protocol for the period of time.

Similarly, if the location of the first caregiver 195 does not satisfythe location requirement of the patient therapy protocol during step313, the method may also proceed to step 353′. Here, however, the methodtransmits a notification signal to the first input device 198 and/or thesecond input device 199 to notify the first caregiver 195 and/or thesecond caregiver 196 that the location of the first caregiver 195 doesnot satisfy the location requirement of the patient therapy protocol.

Furthermore, if the first caregiver location input signal does notsatisfy the location requirement of the selected patient therapyprotocol, the method may proceed to step 311′ and step 313′. Step 311′is similar to step 311 because, during both steps, the method receives alocation input signal corresponding to a location of a caregiver.However, during step 311′, the method receives a second caregiverlocation input signal corresponding to a location of the secondcaregiver 196. Similarly, step 313′ is similar to step 313 because,during both steps, the method determines whether the caregiver locationinput signal satisfies the location requirement of the patient therapyprotocol. However, during step 313′, the method determines whether ornot the second caregiver location input signal satisfies the locationrequirement of the selected patient therapy protocol. In the footelevation embodiment, the method first receives the location of thesecond caregiver 196 during step 311′. The method may then determinewhether the second caregiver 196 is in the same room as the patientsupport apparatus 100 during step 313′.

If the second caregiver location input signal does not satisfy thelocation requirement of the selected patient therapy protocol, themethod may proceed to step 302, the end of the method. However, in someembodiments, such as the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 , the system 10 mayinclude a third input device 201 for a third caregiver. In suchembodiments, the method may first proceed to a step 353′″ where themethod transmits a notification signal to the third input device 201 tonotify the third caregiver that the second caregiver location inputsignal does not satisfy the location requirement of the selected patienttherapy protocol. As shown in FIG. 3B, the method may then proceed tostep 302, the end of the method.

If the second caregiver location input signal does satisfy the locationrequirement of the selected patient therapy protocol during step 313′,the method may then proceed to a step 358 of determining whether apermission level of the second caregiver 199 satisfies a permissionrequirement of the selected patient therapy protocol. In someembodiments, the permission level of the caregiver may be based on ahospital hierarchy. For example, the permission level of the caregivermay be based on whether the caregiver is a nurse, a medical intern, amedical student, a physician assistant, a resident, a doctor, or asurgeon. In other embodiments, the permission level of the caregiver maybe based on a floor or unit of the hospital. For example, the permissionlevel may require the caregiver to be assigned to the same floor or unitof the hospital as the patient. In the foot elevation embodiment, theselected patient therapy protocol may require that the caregiver be anurse, a doctor, or a medical intern. As such, the method, during step358, determines whether the second caregiver 196 is a nurse, a doctor,or a medical intern.

If the permission level of the second caregiver 196 does not satisfy thepermission requirement of the selected patient therapy protocol, themethod may notify the third caregiver that the second caregiver 196 doesnot satisfy the permission requirement of the selected patient therapyprotocol during step 353′″ before proceeding to the end of the method.

If the permission level of the second caregiver 196 satisfies thepermission requirement of the selected patient therapy protocol, themethod may proceed to step 353″. During step 353″, the method may notifythe second caregiver 196 of the instance of the patient therapy protocoland that the second caregiver 196 satisfies both the permissionrequirement and the location requirement of the selected patient therapyprotocol.

As shown in FIG. 3B, the method may then proceed to step 354′. Step 354′is similar to step 354 because, during both steps, the method determineswhether a response to notifying a caregiver has been received.Furthermore, during both steps, the method may receive the acceptance ofthe instance of the patient therapy protocol, the denial of the instanceof the patient therapy protocol, the modification to the instance of thepatient therapy protocol, the selection of a different patient therapyprotocol, or combinations thereof, and proceed as previously discussedand shown in FIG. 3C. However, during step 354′, the method receives aresponse to notifying the second caregiver 196 via the second inputdevice 199. If the response received during step 354′ is the acceptanceof the instance of the patient therapy protocol, the method proceeds toa step 315 of transmitting the patient-moving output signal to thepatient support apparatus 100 to execute the instance of the selectedpatient therapy protocol, as shown in FIG. 3C.

Furthermore, it should be noted that, during step 354′, the method maytimeout and proceed to step 353′″ if the method does not receive theresponse to notifying the second caregiver 196 within a predetermined orprogrammable amount of time. During step 353′″, the method may transmita notification signal to the third input device 201 to notify the thirdcaregiver that the method did not receive the response from the secondcaregiver 196 within the predetermined or programmable amount of time.

In other embodiments, the method may proceed to step 315 even if themethod does not receive the response to notifying the second caregiver196 during step 354′. In such embodiments, the method may execute theinstance of the patient therapy protocol for a period of time, such asfive minutes, before proceeding to step 353′″ and step 302, the end ofthe method. The method may also continue waiting for the response fromthe second caregiver 196 while executing the patient therapy protocolfor the period of time.

Referring now back to FIG. 3A, once the method completes step 320, themethod returns to the beginning of step 320 to execute another instanceof the patient therapy protocol. The method repeats step 320 inaccordance with the selected patient therapy protocol. For example, insome embodiments, the method may repeat step 320 for a predetermined orprogrammable number of instances. In another embodiment, the method mayrepeat step 320 for a predetermined or programmable amount of time. Inyet another embodiment, the method may repeat step 320 until thecaregiver ends the method. In other embodiments, the method may repeatstep 320 based on the medical procedure data, the patient characteristicdata, the caregiver observation data, the patient condition of thepatient, the state of said patient support apparatus, the risk level ofthe selected patient therapy protocol, the patient's preferences, themedication data, the prior injury data, or combinations thereof. In thefoot elevation embodiment, the selected patient therapy protocolreceived during step 310 causes the actuators 121, 122 to elevate thefoot section of the patient support deck 140 every hour for five hours.Therefore, in the foot elevation embodiment, step 320 is repeated fivetimes.

It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the method shown in FIGS.3A and 3B, the method determines whether the location of the caregiversatisfies the location requirement of the selected patient therapyprotocol before transmitting the patient-moving output signal to thepatient support apparatus 100 to execute an instance of the selectedpatient therapy protocol. In other embodiments of the method, the methodmay also determine whether the location of the caregiver satisfies thelocation requirement of the selected patient therapy protocol throughouta time that an instance of the selected patient therapy protocol isexecuted. For example, the method may, in the foot elevation embodiment,require the caregiver to be in the same room as the patient supportapparatus 100 while the foot section of the patient support deck 140 isbeing elevated.

FIG. 4A provides a flowchart illustrating an embodiment where the methoddetermines whether the location of the caregiver satisfies the locationrequirement of the selected patient therapy protocol throughout a timethat an instance of the selected patient therapy protocol is executed.Just as the method shown in FIG. 3A included step 300, step 310, and320, the method shown in FIG. 4A also includes step 300, step 310, andstep 320. However, as shown in FIG. 4A, step 320 includes a step 410 ofmonitoring the location of the caregiver. As such, the method monitorsthe location of the caregiver throughout the time that the instance ofthe patient therapy protocol is executed.

FIG. 4B provides a flowchart further illustrating step 410. As shown inFIG. 4A, step 410 begins after the method transmits the patient-movingoutput signal to the patient support apparatus 100 to execute theinstance of the patient therapy protocol during step 315. As such, itshould be understood that step 410 occurs while the method is executingthe instance of the patient therapy protocol. In the foot elevationembodiment, step 410 occurs while the foot section of the patientsupport deck 140 is being elevated.

As shown in FIG. 4B, step 410 shares some of the same steps as step 320,as shown in FIG. 3B. For example, steps 311, 311′, 313, 313′, 315, 353′,353″, 353′″, 354′, and 358 are all included in step 410 and have allbeen discussed in the previous discussion of step 320. Step 410 does,however, deviate from step 320 in some regards.

For example, while step 320 of FIG. 3B begins with step 314, the step ofdetermining whether or not to execute the instance of the patienttherapy protocol, step 410 of FIG. 4B begins by receiving the firstcaregiver location input signal corresponding to the location of thefirst caregiver 195 during step 311. This is because step 410 occurswhile the method is executing the instance of the patient therapyprotocol. In the foot elevation embodiment, the location of thecaregiver 195 is received during step 311 while the foot section of thepatient support deck 140 is being elevated.

After the method receives the first location input signal during step311, the method may determine whether the instance of the patienttherapy protocol is still being executed during a step 412. In the footelevation embodiment, the method determines whether the foot section ofthe patient support deck 140 is still being elevated during step 412. Ifthe instance of the patient therapy protocol is no longer beingexecuted, the method proceeds to step 302, the end of the method.However, if the instance of the patient therapy protocol is still beingexecuted, the method may proceed to step 313, where the methoddetermines if the first caregiver location input signal satisfies thelocation requirement of the patient therapy protocol. If the firstcaregiver location input signal satisfies the location requirement, themethod may repeat step 311 to again receive the first caregiver locationinput signal. Otherwise, the method may proceed to step 353′, step 311′,step 313′, etc. as the method does during step 320 of the method.

Furthermore, because the instance of the patient therapy protocol isbeing executed during step 410, step 410 includes a step 411 ofterminating the patient-moving output signal to the patient supportapparatus 100. As shown in FIG. 4B, if the method determines that thesecond caregiver location input signal does not satisfy the locationrequirement of the selected patient therapy protocol, if the methoddetermines that the permission level of the second caretaker 196 doesnot satisfy the permission requirement of the patient therapy protocol,or if the method does not receive a response during step 354′, themethod may proceed to step 411 and terminate the patient-moving outputsignal to cease execution of the selected patient therapy protocolbefore ultimately proceeding to step 302, the end of the method. In thefoot elevation embodiment, terminating the patient-moving output signalduring step 411 would cease the elevation of the foot section of thepatient support deck 140. The method may then lower the foot section ofthe patient support deck 140 to its initial position during step 302,the end of the method.

FIG. 4C provides a flowchart illustrating the step 410 if the methodreceives a response during step 354′. As shown if the response is theacceptance of the selected patient therapy protocol, the method repeatsstep 311′, step 412, and step 313′. Here, however, if the secondcaregiver location does not satisfy the location requirement of thepatient therapy protocol during step 412, the method proceeds to step411 and ultimately to step 302, the end of the method. If the secondcaregiver location does satisfy the location requirement of the patienttherapy protocol, the method returns to step 311′ to once again receivethe second caregiver location input signal.

Furthermore, the method may proceed to step 411 if the method receivesthe denial of the instance of the patient therapy protocol during step354′ the method may proceed to step 411 and terminate the patient-movingoutput signal to the patient support apparatus 100 before proceeding tostep 302, the end of the end of the method. If the method receives themodification of the instance of the patient therapy protocol during step354′, the method may modify the patient therapy protocol during step 359before returning to step 315 in FIG. 4B. If the method receives theselection of a different patient therapy protocol, the method may returnto step 314 in FIG. 3B.

Additionally, in some embodiments of FIG. 4B, the method may continuetransmitting the patient-moving output signal for a period of time, suchas five minutes, even if the method does not receive the response tonotifying the second caregiver 196 during step 354′.

In the previously described methods, the methods may, at any time,receive the control signal from the override system 194. Similar to theresponse received during step 354 and step 354′ of the previouslydescribed methods, the control signal may be the acceptance of thepatient therapy protocol, the denial of the patient therapy protocol,the modification to the patient therapy protocol, the selection of adifferent patient therapy protocol, or combinations thereof. As such,the method may proceed after receiving the control signal in the sameway the method would proceed after receiving the response during step354. For example, if the control signal is the denial of the patienttherapy protocol, the method may proceed to step 302, or the end of themethod. For reference, the method would proceed in the same way inresponse to receiving the denial of the patient therapy protocol duringstep 354.

It is to be understood that the method may be adapted for embodimentswith a greater number of input devices and/or caregivers. For example,the method, after determining that the second caregiver location inputsignal does not satisfy the location requirement of the selected patienttherapy protocol during step 313′, may repeat steps 353′, 311′, 313′,358, 353″, and 354′ to determine whether any other input devices and/orany other caregivers satisfy the location requirement of the selectedpatient therapy protocol. In other words, if the method determines thatthe first caregiver 195 and second caregiver 196 do not satisfy thelocation requirement of the selected patient therapy protocol, themethod may determine whether any other caregiver satisfies the locationrequirement.

It is to be appreciated that the steps shown in the above describedmethods may be ordered in any suitable fashion. For example, referringback to FIG. 3B, the method may determine whether the permission levelof the second caregiver 196 satisfies the permission requirement of thepatient therapy protocol during step 358 before determining whether ornot the second caregiver 196 satisfies the location requirement of thepatient therapy protocol during step 313. In another example from FIG.3B, the method may receive the second caregiver location input signalduring step 311′ before notifying the first caregiver 195 and/or secondcaregiver 196 that the first caregiver location input signal does notsatisfy the location requirement of the selected patient therapyprotocol during step 353′.

It should be understood that, while embodiments discussed hereindescribe techniques for managing patient therapy protocols of patientsupport apparatuses 100, the techniques for managing patient therapyprotocols may be applied to other medical devices. For instance, thesemedical devices may include equipment such as lights, televisions,temperature management systems, respirators, IV lines, heart ratemonitors, surgical tools, or any other devices that may be used inmedical procedures or in the provision of medical services to patients.Therefore, the techniques for managing patient therapy protocols mayapply to any of the above-described medical devices, or any othermedical device that may be used in medical procedures or in theprovision of medical services to patients.

It will be further appreciated that the terms “include,” “includes,” and“including” have the same meaning as the terms “comprise,” “comprises,”and “comprising.” Moreover, it will be appreciated that terms such as“first,” “second,” “third,” and the like are used herein todifferentiate certain structural features and components for thenon-limiting, illustrative purposes of clarity and consistency.

Several configurations have been discussed in the foregoing description.However, the configurations discussed herein are not intended to beexhaustive or limit the invention to any particular form. Theterminology which has been used is intended to be in the nature of wordsof description rather than of limitation. Many modifications andvariations are possible in light of the above teachings and theinvention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A system for managing patient therapyprotocols across a communication network, the system comprising: apatient support apparatus coupled to the communication network forsupporting a patient; a first input device coupled to the communicationnetwork for use by a first caregiver; a location system coupled to thecommunication network to determine a location of the first caregiver;and a therapy management system coupled to the communication network,wherein the therapy management system is configured to: receive a firstcaregiver location input signal, from the location system, correspondingto the location of the first caregiver; receive a selection of a patienttherapy protocol from the first input device, wherein the selectedpatient therapy protocol comprises a location requirement; determinewhether the first caregiver location input signal satisfies the locationrequirement of the selected patient therapy protocol; transmit apatient-moving output signal to the patient support apparatus toinitiate the selected patient therapy protocol; and transmit anotification signal across the communication network based on the firstcaregiver location input signal and the location requirement of theselected patient therapy protocol.
 2. The system as set forth in claim1, wherein the location requirement comprises a proximity to the patientsupport apparatus, a predetermined location, or combinations thereof. 3.The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the selected patient therapyprotocol comprises an instance of a command for moving the patient, andwherein the therapy management system is configured to determine whetherthe caregiver location input signal satisfies the location requirementof the selected patient therapy protocol before executing the instanceof a command for moving the patient.
 4. The system as set forth in claim1, wherein the selected patient therapy protocol comprises an instanceof a command for moving the patient, and wherein the therapy managementsystem is configured to determine whether the caregiver location inputsignal satisfies the location requirement of the selected patienttherapy protocol during execution of the instance of a command formoving the patient.
 5. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein theselected patient therapy protocol comprises an instance of a command formoving the patient, wherein the location requirement comprises a firstlocation requirement and a subsequent location requirement, and whereinthe first location requirement is a location requirement for a firstinstance of the selected patient therapy protocol and the subsequentlocation requirement is a location requirement for a subsequent instanceof the selected patient therapy protocol.
 6. The system as set forth inclaim 1, wherein the patient therapy protocol is selected from a firstpatient therapy protocol and a second patient therapy protocol, thefirst patient therapy protocol and the second patient therapy protocolhaving different location requirements.
 7. The system as set forth inclaim 3, wherein the location system comprises at least one of asoftware component and a hardware component of a computing device; andwherein the computing device is the first input device and the locationsystem is further configured to determine the location of the firstcaregiver based on a location of the first input device.
 8. The systemas set forth in claim 3, wherein the location system determines thelocation of the first caregiver based on the location of the first inputdevice using an asset tracking system.
 9. The system as set forth inclaim 1, wherein the location requirement is based on medical proceduredata, patient characteristic data, caregiver observation data, a patientcondition of the patient, a state of the patient support apparatus, arisk level of the selected patient therapy protocol, patientpreferences, medication data, prior injury data, or combinationsthereof.
 10. The system as set forth in claim 1, further comprising asecond input device coupled to the communication network for use by asecond caregiver.
 11. The system as set forth in claim 10, wherein thefirst input device and the second input device are mobile input devicesand/or are disposed on the patient support apparatus.
 12. The system asset forth in claim 10, wherein the location system is further configuredto determine a location of the second caregiver; and wherein the therapymanagement system is further configured to receive a second locationinput signal corresponding to the location of the second caregiver andto determine whether the second location input signal satisfies thelocation requirement of the selected patient therapy protocol.
 13. Thesystem as set forth in claim 12, further comprising a third input devicecoupled to the communication network for use by a third caregiver,wherein the therapy management system is further configured to transmita notification signal to the third input device based on the secondlocation input signal and the location requirement of the selectedpatient therapy protocol.
 14. The system as set forth in claim 12,wherein the therapy management system is further configured to terminatethe patient-moving output signal to the patient support apparatus basedon the second location input signal and the location requirements of theselected patient therapy protocol.
 15. The system as set forth in claim10, wherein the selected patient therapy protocol comprises a permissionrequirement, and wherein the therapy management system is furtherconfigured to: determine whether a permission level of the secondcaregiver satisfies the permission requirement of the selected patienttherapy protocol; and transmit the notification signal to the secondinput device based on the permission level of the second caregiver andthe permission requirement of the selected patient therapy protocol. 16.The system as set forth in claim 10, wherein the therapy managementsystem is further configured to transmit a notification signal to atleast one of the first input device and the second input device upon adetermination that the first caregiver location input signal does notsatisfy the location requirement of the selected patient therapyprotocol.
 17. The system as set forth in claim 10, wherein the therapymanagement system is configured to receive a response to notifying thesecond caregiver via the second input device; and wherein the responseto notifying comprises an acceptance of the patient therapy protocol, adenial of the patient therapy protocol, a modification to the patienttherapy protocol, a selection of a different patient therapy protocol,or combinations thereof.
 18. The system as set forth in claim 17,wherein the therapy management system is further configured to wait apredetermined amount of time for the response to notifying the secondcaregiver via the second input device.
 19. The system as set forth inclaim 1, wherein the patient support apparatus further comprises anoverride system being configured to transmit a control signal, andwherein the therapy management system is further configured to receivethe control signal; and wherein the control signal comprises anacceptance of the patient therapy protocol, a denial of the patienttherapy protocol, a modification to the patient therapy protocol, aselection of a different patient therapy protocol, or combinationsthereof.